Hello all!
I have recently created a Ramadan edition parody of the song I'm So Fancy entitled "I'm So Hungry". Please feel free to check it out and let me know what you think!
You can find the video here: goo.gl/SeGuQg
Enjoy!
Heidi

Hii Pistache! Thanks so much! That is a very cute video. Every time I've seen a Heidi in the media, she is blonde! So I appreciate a brunette Heidi
GuerillaRadio, I love to answer these types of questions! Not only does it help me clarify what Im trying to say, it also brings up issues I may not have considered yet. So if you, or any one else for that matter, have any other questions, I really hope you will bring them up!
I will definitely check out the Islamophobia forum, that is a great idea. I have been having lots of family around since its the holidays,and haven really had much time these days to sufficiently explore MM, so I very much appreciate the helpful suggestion
I define normal as the following: no matter our beliefs (whether or not I believe in the oneness of God, or believe in Christianity and the Trinity, or even believe in a multitude of Gods), I believe that, above all, we are all human beings and we all deserve respect.
I personally cannot comprehend how a whole people, or a whole religion can be demonized and how that can possibly be acceptable. It truly is propaganda, in the sense that those who want to make us look bad, as Muslims, cite horrible events, such as September 11th, and depict that as standard behavior of Muslims, and even depict it as encouraged behavior in Islam. That is factually incorrect, yet most people in America haven't met a Muslim, and because of that, they don't really realize that Muslims are nothing more or less than human beings.
To cite an example, I once showed a professor a picture of my family around a turkey at Thanksgiving. His response? Wow!! They look like Americans! You guys celebrate Thanksgiving?! He was truly shocked. That is the type of people we deal with... even if they think they are accepting and understanding of others, they still have a very biased view of what/who we are, and what activities we partake in. We, the Muslim population, need to change that. It should never be shocking that an American family is gathered around the turkey at Thanksgiving, simply because they are Muslim. Being Muslim and being American are not mutually exclusive. Being Muslim and being a good person is not mutually exclusive. So that is what I mean by normal. I want to stress that we are as much a part of the societal fabric as other religions, we are as much a part of it as other human beings. And that Is what i wish to stress. There is an underlying humanity that connects us all, whether we are Muslim, Christian, atheiest, Hindu...etc.
You are right, there are very powerful forces up against me, as a Muslim American filmmaker. As a filmmaker, I realize that there are a lot of things I can/should do to convey the message that I wish to convey, that Muslims are simply normal human beings. To be honest, I feel this is just the beginning. In order to begin a campaign to promote the image of Muslims, I think the first step is to help people realize that Muslims are normal (as defined above) human beings, and they have legitimate experiences and stories. And only then can we build upon the positive image of Muslims in the West.
You are absolutely correct when you say just making a film doesn't mean getting your message out there. I think there is a lot of research that must be done in order to figure out how best to convey this message to both the Muslims and the non-Muslims in a way that allows them to be on the same page. As such, I think its critical to not only read and understand academic research regarding public opinions about Muslims in the West, but it is also necessary to interview Muslims and non-Muslims to truly understand what is happening on the ground, or what is happening in the real world, not just the academic world. This is the reason why I tend to use real Muslim voices in my films about Muslim Americans. I want to give Muslims the ability to convey their own personal messages/stories to the world.
But I think you are right, even making a great film that hits home might not get my message out to everyone I am attempting to reach. I think there is only so much a filmmaker can do to convey their message, to be honest. For example, at this point in time, I was able to convey the message I wished to convey in my short film, Underneath it All. By sharing personal and emotional stories, I hope that people began to realize that these stories are very similar to their own. But perhaps it hasn't influenced all viewers the way I wished it would. But Inshallah with time, and more experience in film, I will be able to captivated my intended audience with my message through my film.
I like to think that by making such films, it can make a significant impact simply due to the fact that there are not a lot of these films out there yet. And I hope, at minimum, my films will at least make people reconsider their preconceived notions regarding Muslims as a homogenous and extremist group.
Its been quite a long day, and I realize that my message is long, and I had to remove my original post due to some weird error, and rewrite/repost it, so I hope that not only has my answer made sense, but I hope that I have sufficiently answered your questions! If you need clarification on anything, or have follow-up questions, please feel free to ask! I welcome all questions
Let me now ask you for your opinion regarding this matter? I would really love to hear your thoughts! How do you think a Muslim filmmaker should overcome such powerful societal forces? And do you think films that promote the Muslim image play a significant role in changing biased views of Muslims? Or do you think other methods should be utilized? Perhaps methods outside of film? I guess I want to hear what you think would be the most effective way to reach these people?
Perhaps I will start another thread to really discuss these ideas! I'm so interested in hearing everyone thoughts!

Thanks everyone for being so welcoming! I really appreciate it, and I'm so excited to really get to know you all
GuerillaRadio, I'm still very new in the film world. To be honest, I've been studying film for only a year. Right now, my work critically interrogates the negative perceptions of Muslims and Muslim culture portrayed throughout the dominant discourse in the West, particularly in the US. What I really want to do is challenge religious and cultural stereotypes using the collective voices of Muslim Americans. For example, in my most recent work, Underneath it All (
)the text that appears next to each person is a true story from that person. I want to use true stories from the Muslim American community to challenge any negative perceptions of Muslims and stress the common thread of the human experience that connects us all.
I don't know if you have heard about the All American Muslim tv show and the Lowes Home Improvement stores controversy? There is a new show in the States called All AMerican Muslim, which follows the daily lives of 5 Muslim families in Dearborn. The Florida Family Association (FFA) wrote an incredibly bigoted letter to companies advertising on the show, urging them to pull ads due to the fact that "the show profiles only Muslims that appear to be ordinary folks while excluding many Islamic believers whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to the liberties and traditional values that the majority of Americans value".
Lowes Home Improvement stores pulled their commercials due to the pressure from the FFA. I believe we live in a society where such bigoted ideas should never cause such a large impact, where large companies such as Lowes succumb to pressure and pull advertisements from shows simply because its about Muslims!
I think its critical that Muslim Americans, like myself and others, stress the fact that Muslim Americans are simply Americans, and we are 'normal', just like every other American. Its important to stress the shared narratives between us and other Americans and to demonstrate the fact that Muslim stories are American stories, and they deserve to be heard.
That is my main ambition in film. And I began studying/making films because I truly believe that, Instead of complaining about how we always appear as 'terrorists' in movies and tv shows, we should change how Muslims are portrayed in film and cinema. I want to promote the Muslim image within the Western world.
I know thats quite a long answer, but thats why I do what I do! To stress that no matter our differences in race, culture, sex or religion, the common thread of the human experience connects us all.

Well its a pleasure to meet you I'm glad to hear that, I've been looking for a place to meet other Muslims and Muslim artists! I do have examples of my work online, actually! I have posted a lot of my work here on YouTube! Here is a link to my most recent short piece, if you'd like to watch it!

Hello GuerillaRadio! I'm a Muslim American filmmaker focusing on shattering stereotypes of Muslims in the West. I was doing some research on Muslim filmmakers, and looking for various Youtube clips when I came across MM Really just want to meet and get to know people, and potentially network! What about you? What's your story?
Thanks Cappuccino! Isa the forum will be very beneficial! I already like it so much!

Asalaamualaikom everybody!
Hello everybody! My name is Heidi, and I'm new to MM. Very happy to have found MM, and looking forward to getting to know a lot of you!
PS Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone!